c/o Chief Postal Censor

LONDON, England.

19 May 1940.

Dearest Jean:

The address above is the correct one to use. Don't forget to put Lieut. and R.E. after my name. We have had instruction that overseas mail should not be addressed directly to our stations here. However the above will forward all mail here, or wherever we may be promptly. Any you have sent via the Bank of Nova Scotia are O.K. We are still at the same place incidently, and I have no idea for how long. We have been in England exactly a month to-day.

It was with great joy I read your letter from Auburn - It came several days ago - and I have been wanting to answer it each day since - but it has been a full week. As you felt relieved to learn that I had landed safely in England, I felt much the same about learning that you had survived the ordeal of closing house at 1120 Woodstock, and made your trip to Auburn so success fully. I was [cut off] greatly joyed that you flew down there - much the best way to go - I wish I could have been along to enjoy it with you & Mary. Your letter was wonderful, I have read it over & over again. You must try to get some picture of you & Mary soon. Too bad Arthur Swannell didn't make his exam - he will be discouraged - Incidently some of the courses we are taking here are going to be a great help to me when I go up for my B.C.L.S. You didn't say what you did with the car, but I presume you stored it somewhere. I hope you won't have to sell it, but whatever you do will be right.

You will be enjoying your visit home - I'm so glad you are having that - I'm afraid you will feel rather lonely when you & Mary start back for Victoria. You must not worry my dear - about things over here. The present situation is certainly grave - not only to us but to all countries & people who love liberty - and it will be a dark day for America if the Germans are not defeated. However, worrying won't help, and things would not be more peaceful than where we are here. Today has been one of those perfect summer days - and we had a tennis tournament in the for t- Bill & I were teamed up - Together and we didn't come out on top - or the bottom - This is about the first time we have played since we were at Kelowna in the Okanagan in 1938. I blew myself to a pair of rubber tennis shoes - the cost 6 shillings 9 pence but I certainly need to have some exercise. Our leave from the Fort has been restricted, quite a bit since the recent developments in Belgium & Holland, so we are not able to get out for long walks quite so much. I wish now I had brought my tennis racket. However I shall be able to honour one while I am here, so it is hardly worth sending mine.

Am so sorry you had so much trouble with authorities when you went to Seattle - it always seems to work that way when you least are able to resist.

I have just one more bit of hard news - you remember I was not officially taken on the army till 29th April - and so made application for book pay from 3rd April to 29th also for some incidental expenses in London while we were waiting for the war office to put through our papers - Well they have turned down my application - so I am out that much - I was pretty sure that would be the case, and otld the Forest Service as much but of course they all seem to think its up to the other fellows. I am rather annoyed, because after all I didn't have to come at all, and we are making a big financial sacrifice as it is to help them out - it comes as somewhat of a shock to a fellows morale - however the British Army is a colossus - and "the left hand knoweth now that the right hand doeth", and no doubt the key man who turned down my application was just one of those stereotyped cogs that you find in army machines. It may all turn out more cheerful in the long run, I can't help feeling that eventually we will come out on top, and there
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Monotony for them. Bill got the officers lined up to present a burlesque of the Shooting of Dan McGrew which the troops seemed to like, and which gave the officers a great deal of fun getting it ready.
This is a most lonely part of England - to the south we can see the sea, and low-lying country beside - we are up quite high, and to the north is the most beautiful park-like country of green fields little villages and tree flanked lanes & roads. All along the hill it is grassy commons with every path & road brilliantly white, because the underlying sod is chalk.

Well Jean - I hope your visit home was everything you could have hoped - and that things have worked out down there to your satisfaction - I guess you will feel relieved to get the nursery wound up and all. And I hope you have had time for some fun too. I guess Mary is as brown as a nut - I don't know when I will get my pay, but it will not likely be until early June, and as soon as it comes through I will arrange for your money to go through.

All my love dear - You & Mary are the most important things in my life -

Gerry